Company leaders said a formal opening for the new 28,000-square-foot store in downtown San Diego was planned for 11 a.m. Oct. 16, following a ceremony being attended by company, city and mall officials. The new store employs approximately 100 people.

The location, on the Westfield Group mall’s second level near Nordstrom, is the first full-service natural foods grocery store to open in the downtown area, officials said. The store has a specialized “cartveyor” system installed as part of its escalator, allowing shoppers to move carts between Levels 2 and 4 of the mall.

The store has 85 “preferred” Jimbo’s parking spaces on Level 4 of the mall’s G Street Garage. Operators said it is the first grocery store in San Diego to be certified under a rating system for retail commercial interiors, overseen by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program.

Jimbo’s, with headquarters in Carmel Valley, sells locally grown and organic produce, along with other natural foods, deli and bakery offerings, and health and beauty aids. It was founded in 1984 by CEO Jim “Jimbo” Someck.